Linguistic Politics and Social Contact in Mexico-Tejano Spanish: The -ra vs -se Opposition in Texas during the Nineteenth Century

Legal documents preserved in the archives of Laredo, Camargo, & Matamoros represent Tejano (Texan) Spanish of 1791-1853 & are analyzed for the -ra vs -se imperfect subjunctive ending alternations. Linguistic & sociolinguistic variations are considered, delimiting three historical periods for the latter: (1) 1791-1819 (colonial Mexico), (2) 1820-1836 (political developments leading to the Texan revolution & independence), & (3) 1837-1853 (the Republic of Texas & US statehood period). A comparison with Joseph M. Wilson's (1983) findings for Mexican Spanish shows that the -se subjunctive persisted much longer in Tejano Spanish. Two sociopolitical reasons are offered in explanation: (1) Texans remained loyal to the Spanish crown even after Mexico gained its independence & (2) language usage played an important role in south Texas as a marker of social class & cast. The eventual disappearance of the -se subjunctive was due to the abandonment of colonial identity after American occupation. 1 Appendix, 19 References. Z. Dubiel